The Calm Before
The sanctuary felt different that night. The fire burned low, shadows stretching long and jagged across the ruined stones. The others had fallen asleep in uneasy piles of blankets, but Lena couldn’t. Sleep no longer came easily, not with whispers in her blood and a raven’s silver eyes haunting her thoughts.
Dominic paced the perimeter, ever-watchful, his hand always near his sword. Kael sat farther off, his back against a pillar, his eyes glinting in the dim light, sharp as blades even in rest. Mireya muttered prayers into the smoke, her staff clutched tightly, as though she sensed the storm already gathering.
Lena pulled her cloak tighter, trying to pretend her trembling was only from cold. But the mark on her collarbone pulsed faintly, warning her.
Something was comin
